Rice cited Iran’s contested presidential election in June and the continuing political turmoil there as factors adding a new layer to US and international deliberations on Tehran. “The elections and their aftermath have added a layer of complexity to assessing the overtures and offers of diplomatic engagement,” she said.
An inability to act within the Security Council could prompt the US to seek concerted action outside the Council and among what some are calling a “coalition of the willing,” which could include countries like Britain, France, and Germany.
But that would seem to be a last resort for the Obama administration, since it hopes to work with a united Security Council on the kinds of “21st-century security challenges” that Rice discussed Friday.
